It’s quite famous that the British were the first ones to add milk or cream in tea? In this article, we’ll look into the detail of adding cream to tea. Adding milk to tea depends on personal choice. However, there are different debates about adding cream to the tea.
Many tea drinkers will say that adding milk is better, and some will say that adding cream to tea a better option. But in this guide, we will have an in-depth look into this matter and see the best option for you.
4 Reasons Why We Add Milk or Cream to our tea?
1. Lowering The Temperature of Cups
Earlier, milk was used as a precautionary measure in tea instead of providing some taste. You might have noticed that individuals add milk to their cups before they add tea.
It happened to ensure that the temperature of the hot tea doesn’t crack the glass or teacups. These cups are sensitive to dramatic changes in temperature.
The presence of milk or cream neutralizes the temperature of the hot tea. And it also prevents the teacups from cracking. It also prepares the tea ready to serve earlier than super hot tea.
2. Off-Set The Effect of Tannins
Another reason for adding milk or cream is the presence of tannins in it, especially in black tea.
Tannins stain not only our teeth but, over time, can also degrade the glass. You might have noticed the yellowing of your teacups and teapots.
So milk is the best thing to offset the effects of tannins and help cut Your teacups yellowing.
3. Milk Was Cheap
The next reason for adding milk or cream is quite compelling. Tea was quite expensive and was a luxury only the rich could afford. On the other side, but, milk was much cheaper.
The point to note was when milk is added to the cup! The privileged would add their tea first to fill their cups and add only a few milk drops.
The poor would fill their cups with milk first as it was cheap to get and add only a splash of tea.
Although this practice has died since then, paying attention to when a person adds milk or cream in tea can shed light on their traditions.
4. To Get A Good Taste
Milk or cream is best to add for a creamy taste. The lactose in milk counterbalances the bitter taste of a large number of tannins present in tea.
Do People in Britain Still Prefer Milk or Cream in Their Tea?
You’ll be surprised to know that British people don’t put milk or cream in their tea anymore!
The three types of milk found in the UK:
- Fresh milk
- UHT milk
- Sterilized milk — it has a unique boiled milk caramel flavor.
Usually delivered in glass bottles, the cream in these milk bottles rises to the top.
How to Make Traditional Tea with Cream In It?
Let’s dive into the following recipe and find out how to make a cup of tea with cream. This recipe is not much different from the preparation of jasmine milk tea. The following are the required ingredients that we will be using in its practice.
7 Easy To Find Ingredients:
- Cream as per need
- Black tea as per need
- Ginger – 4 thin slices
- Star anise as per need
- Clove – 1
- Cardamom seed – 1
- Brown Sugar as per need
Instructions to Prepare:
- Put a pot in the oven to boil some water.
- Add your tea next. Let the tea steep in hot water.
- Please wait for it to boil and let it simmer by keeping the heat low. When the tea starts to lose its color and the water becomes dark, add sugar according to your taste.
- Add the seasonings next. Start adding the clove, ginger, a small leaf of star anise, and cardamom to your tea. Mix until the sugar and spices dissolve.
- Add cream and mix. Bring the mixture to a boil. The water level will reduce a lot during this time. So you might want to add a bit more depending on how you want it to taste if you are making only one cup. You can choose between adding milk instead of cream.
- Sieve and pour the tea.
If you like our recipe for cream in tea. Then I’m sure you will also like to learn another versatile recipe: how to mix coffee and tea.
How to Put Cream in Tea?
I’m sure most of you must have been wondering who puts cream in their tea! You may have heard some people use the term English “Cream Tea.”
It might be the source of your confusion. I never add anything to my tea. But, I prefer a bit of milk and sugar in tea instead of sweetening the tea.
A “Cream Tea” doesn’t mean that you put cream in the tea. The cream goes on the stuff you eat with the tea! The tea may or may not include the cream in itself.
Surprising right?? Now, if you want to learn another surprising fact, please take a look at Is Drinking Green Tea and Milk Good or Bad for You?
What Is Cream Tea?
High tea and afternoon tea are the two most well-known types, but they aren’t the only popular tea types. “Cream tea” is a simpler version of afternoon tea with a sweet twist.
Cream tea consists of a single dish — the scones, with jam and thickened cream. The scones should be straight and simple. Not even a sprinkle of sugar should be on them. Also, the jam should be the thick strawberry and the cream. You can serve other kinds like raspberry or blackberry jam if you prefer.
There is a bit of controversy, though, about which comes first: the cream or the jam? People are very picky about the cream and jam order! For Cornish cream tea, the jam is on the bottom, and the cream goes on top.
With Devon cream teas, the jam comes on top, and the cream goes on the bottom. Enjoying pairing tea with cream?? Do you know chocolate also tastes better with tea? Learn how to make it through our excellent recipe, Tea and Chocolate.
Fun Fact:
The 29th of June is National Cream Tea Day!
5 Examples of Some Basic Tea Etiquette
- Who Should Be The One To Pour The Tea? The host should pour the tea for the guests as well as themselves.
- Should I Eat Using My Hands? Yes. The knife is only used to spread the jam and the thickened cream.
- What About Raising My Pinky Finger While Sipping Tea? It is impolite to raise your pinky finger while having tea.
- Where should you place The Utensils? After using the utensil, put it on the dish.
- Can you add Sugar and Milk to Tea? Yes, only if you are serving black tea.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed whether the British were the first ones to add milk or cream. After that, we discussed the preparation of traditional tea in detail. We also clarified the meaning of the term ‘cream tea’!
At the end of this guide, we saw some examples of some basic tea etiquettes. We hope that you enjoyed this guide and it was helpful to you.
Please do tell us about your experience in the comment section. We would love to hear from you.
